A press release announcing the news said: “This merger will unite two strong voices for people with type 1 diabetes in the UK in a shared mission to accelerate the progress of research to cure, treat and prevent type 1 diabetes, and improve access to new treatments and technologies.”

Karen Addington, UK chief executive of JDRF said: “JDRF and INPUT have worked together closely for over a decade, sharing expertise and insights to improve the lives of people with type 1 diabetes.

“JDRF’s global research programme has been driving the development of new treatments for type 1 diabetes including the artificial pancreas, encapsulated islets and glucose-responsive insulin. As many of these treatments move closer to reality, it is essential that we support and facilitate their swift adoption by the NHS.”

Lesley Jordan, INPUT chief executive, said: “Linking JDRF’s world-class research with INPUT’s expertise in diabetes technology access will increase INPUT’s capacity to tackle individual, local and national access issues. Together, we will help more people gain access to diabetes technology, now and in the future.”

JDRF in the UK is part of a global network of charities which together make the world’s leading charitable funder of type 1 diabetes research.

Founded in 1970 by parents of children with the condition, JDRF leads the fight against type 1 diabetes, funding research to cure treat and prevent it and working across the world to accelerate the pace of research, to deliver new treatments on the path to the cure, and to provide support, information and a voice to children and adults living with type 1 diabetes.

For 20 years, INPUT has supported people living with diabetes, advocating for easier access to diabetes technology across the UK, such as insulin pump therapy, flash and continuous glucose monitoring and structured education.

INPUT and JDRF will start to work together from the JDRF London offices from July, with the formal merger planned for October 2018.